[Tomato Dirt] Got Wilt? How to Recognize Different Tomato Wilt Diseases

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[Tomato Dirt] Got Wilt? How to Recognize Different Tomato Wilt Diseases
July 10, 2014

Tomato Dirt Newsletter
Volume 4, Number 13

Dear Tomato Dirt reader,

Welcome back to Tomato Dirt! Once or twice a month, we’ll send you this newsletter packed with tips about growing tomatoes and using them.

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Feature: Got Wilt? How to Recognize 3 Kinds of Tomato Wilt Diseases

Image: Tomato Dirt

Mid-season is a time when tomato gardeners start to notice nasty diseases creeping into the tomato patch. One tomato disease category in particular – tomato wilts – share several symptoms, though the fungi culprits are different. Look for these ways to tell tomato wilts apart.

Bacterial wilt. Foliage wilts suddenly, but remains green.
Fusarium wilt. Look for yellowing and wilting on one side of the plant – a leaf, single shoot, branch, or several branches. Yellowing and wilting move up the plant as the fungus spreads. Wilted leaves dry and drop prematurely
Verticillium wilt. Yellow spots appear on lower leaves, followed by brown veins. Leaves then turn brown and fall off. Infection pattern often resembles a V-shape. Symptoms progress up the stem.

In all three cases, the interior of main stem (when split) is dark, water-soaked, or streaked – the result of plugged water-conducting tissue.

Find out more about other tomato diseases so you can have healthy, productive fruit all season long.

And check out other tomato problems on our Tomato Problems Pinterest board so you can treat and prevent them.

Got Walnuts? Be on the Lookout for Walnut Wilt

Image: Ontario Crop IPM

Walnut wilt is a disorder caused by the uptake of the chemical juglone, present in walnut trees, which is toxic to tomatoes. Symptoms closely resemble those of fusarium wilt and verticillium wilt, including yellowing and browning leaves, leaf drop, and stunted growth. In addition, stems turn brown or streak.

With exposure to juglone, tomatoes growing next to a walnut tree abruptly wilt and die. Tomato plants growing a short distance away may not die, but become flaccid and stunted.

Learn more details about walnut wilt so you can identify it and prevent it in your tomato patch.